this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2024
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My wife puts Tabasco sauce on her pizza, while I am convinced that an Italian person dies every time she does that. Help us sort this out, please.

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[–] Sewer_King 47 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I haven't been arrested by Italian food cops yet so I'd say it's fine. Do whatever you want to food that makes it taste good to you because taste is a very subjective thing.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The Pizza Police, you say?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Pizza Polizia

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

TBF, not only would that same Italian person you envision also die every time a "pizza" is made, (IRL, they're far hardier as a people) but I personally reached a similar point in my impression of "proper" sushi. πŸ€·πŸ½β€β™‚οΈ For decades now, I've looked down on cream cheese, et al, used as ingredients in rolls of all kinds. That eventually evolved into other disdainful opinions on adjacent foods' contents, but I've fairly recently discovered a simple fact: in its culture of origin, sushi is known to on occasion include ice cream as an ingredient.

Therefore? Such quixotic prescriptionism is worse than useless: it restricts access to experiences based on fabricated and imaginary rules (or, face the piercing judgment of... actually no one at all).

Fuck what "people" say. Engage with your wife's view, and maybe even join her in exploring what other curious ways one can enjoy weird shit. πŸ«€πŸ––πŸ½

[–] tanisnikana 15 points 1 month ago

Yup, there’s three rules about food:

  1. Don’t eat what will kill you.
  2. Eat stuff that tastes good.
  3. Eat stuff that’s good for you.

As long as you never break rule one and only occasionally break rules 2 and 3, you’ll have a good time.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 month ago

Well, let's be real, pizza isn't some kind of holy thing that is only Italian.

It's not like they're the only people to ever put things on flat dough and bake it.

But ignoring that, food is a living thing, just like most languages, like music, like fashion and art. You can try to stick a pin in it, but you kill the thing by doing so.

It reaches a point where it's ludicrous to try and claim a thing is possessed in its entirety by the place that first named something.

Once a cultural idea spreads far enough, you can only specify one type of the thing. It's why we have champagne, and sparkling wine. It's a way of putting a pin in something but recognizing that there's still living versions out there.

Or, look at it like the difference between formal and colloquial language.

Pizza may have started in Italy as a term, but it's like kleenex and qtips. Pizza is now the generic term for stuff cooked on flat dough. It can even be applied to stuff being placed on flat bread, and then cooked, though I don't know why you'd not call it one of the other words for that idea other than being unaware of those words.

Put whatever you want on your dough, call it pizza, and enjoy ;)

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Yay. Chili flakes are great, too.

BTW, the worst pizza I ever had was served in Italy. Absolutely drowned in oil.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Don't worry about what Italians think about how you eat pizza. Unless you are in Italy, however you are eating it is probably unappealing to most Italians no matter what you are putting on it, even in its base form with no modifications.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Not one single actual Italian gives a flying fuck how you eat anything, as long as you eat enough.

The only "Italians" who say this shit are people that claim to be Italian because their great great great great grandfather once got a hand job in a Fiat 500

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

You put red pepper flakes on your pizza sometimes, yeah? She just likes hers in liquid form.

[–] evasive_chimpanzee 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If you wanted pizza to be "italian", it would have to have no tomatoes, peppers, pepperoni, buffalo milk cheese, basil or a whole bunch of other ingredients that are commonly added to pizza.

Pizza is a global food, do with it as you will

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I mean, Italians put French fries and hot dog slices on pizza. Can we really say they're the last word on "authenticity" ?

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

if an Italian died every time "an italian dies" Italy's population would be in the negatives by now.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

It already was in the negatives the last time i checked

[–] kaffiene 10 points 1 month ago

Is she making he pizza for Italy, or for herself?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

Put whatever you want on a pizza, its a good delivery mechanism

I'm not a big hot sauce ON pizza kinda guy, but I dip the crust in something like secret aardvark. Buffalo chicken pizza is pretty popular and that's basically a hot sauce pizza.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

As an Italian I love Sriracha or Harissa on pizza, but the vinegar, no please!

[–] aaaa 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Tabasco?

I prefer hot sauce on old pizza, not vinegar

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I'm not a fan of Tabasco so I wholeheartedly say "nay." If we're talking classic Sriracha or something less vinegary, then by all means "yea".

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Sure, why not? I put sriracha on some the pizzas we get, or make at home.

Some Italians may find this offensive, alas not as offensive as lathering pizza in ketchup.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Red Hot would be my preferred hot sauce, but yes.

[–] tacotroubles 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The opinions of imaginary and very close-minded italians do not concern me and should not bother you as well.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

sriracha, the one with xtra garlic

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

My wife puts the nearest hot sauce on everything. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate spice, but she has no regard for the flavor profile of the sauce or the food. Maybe your wife's the same. I've been slowly trying to get her to pair her spice sources thoughtfully.

Tabasco is a sup-par hot sauce for most pizzas. Red pepper flakes are best in my opinion, and pack plenty of heat and flavor. I had some serrano basil sauces that went great with pizza, which I think could be expected with any sauce featuring basil. If you're feeling fancy, Truff goes great on pizza too. If you're going to do Tabasco, at least do the smokey chipotle.

Different sauces taste different, and pair differently with different foods. Some flavors synergize with a dish, some overpower it, and some clash. I wouldn't say regular Tabasco necessarily clashes with pizza, but I think it usually overpowers the other notes. There are more delicious choices.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

I never saw this until moving to Japan. Everywhere I've dined in with pizza gives tabasco. I tried it and I like it. Especially for vinegar-based or otherwise more acidic sauces, it cuts through the fattiness from the meats and cheese and brightens things up. I also like spicy things (we frequently do habanero hot sauce these days). I think maybe a splash of something like white wine vinegar might be nice if someone isn't into the heat.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

FYI it should be "yea or nay".

[–] warbond 6 points 1 month ago

Yay or dismay

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

That doesn't rhyme though. Maybe "yea and neh" would be better? :p

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[–] Toneswirly 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

You can do whatever you want to food, I wont stop you. Some would keep the gates closed to others; deeming this or that ingredient taboo. These people have never been to Naples, never had to make a frozen cheese pizza more palatable with canned peaches or starve to death. Hypocrites! Let them scoff, and weep at our scrambled egg sriracha breakfast pizza. They will never be happy like we are.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Tabasco or some other hot sauce in the pizza sauce would be a lot more ideal, but on top is acceptable if that's what's available.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Tabasco is alright if you like Tabasco, I usually go for something hotter where I can, tabasco as a last option when my options are short.

That being said, they used to make a bomb ass chipotle sauce.

[–] hakunawazo 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I like it spicy, but I can't stand the vinegar taste of Tabasco on pizza. In some restaurants you could request chilli oil, which suits my taste better.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

I've made a Christmas dinner pizza with a stuffing and gravy stuffed crust. Just have fun with the food you eat. Why be boring and keep things "authentic"?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

mmm no, i dont think so. Crushed red pepper and jalapenos tho? Hell yea

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Is it Tabasco specifically?

Because I also use Cholula, Tapatio, QM Cocoa Ghost...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Food is food. Do what you want to do to your food because you are eating it. Other people aren't eating it so they don't get a say. If most people saw what the original pizzas were they wouldn't recognize them and some wouldn't like them, including modern Italians.

Tabasco, in my opinion, is just like eating a pizza with peppers or a bunch of pepper flakes on it, or as I sometimes do, ground cayenne pepper.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I think that hot sauce on pizza is awesome and I have been doing it for years. My apologies if I am making their population decline, but I won't be stopped.

[–] psilotop 4 points 1 month ago

I find it very tasty, however, I think hot sauce is adding more moisture to a food that's already pretty wet. I prefer red pepper flakes to balance this out. But she should do what she wants

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Italians die regardless. If it tastes good, go your gang, live a little. I put mayonaise on my frozen pineapple/ham pizza. Best hangover breakfast ever.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Not for me but can’t hate on it. People like some weird shit. Do what makes you happy, as long as it doesn’t infringe on others.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Personally, Tabasco in the bin. Hot sauce on cold pizza the morning after? Breakfast of champions

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I misread it "Tobacco" which was a hard no. Anyone who's swallowed a wad of chewing tobacco will tell you the same thing.

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[–] MrVilliam 4 points 1 month ago

I would prefer Sriracha (shout-out to Underwood Ranch specifically) but to each their own.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I put Tabasco on my pizza all the time :)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Restaurants here often have a spicy oil on the table that I’ve see plenty of Italians put on their pizza. I don’t see it as being all that different. However, if it was a hot sauce with any amount of pineapple and you’d get your Italian citizenship revoked. πŸ˜…

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Man, I dip it in ketchup like a literal toddler.

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